FIFA 14 review – generational gap

It’s almost guaranteed to be the biggest sports video game ever released but does this year’s FIFA do enough to deserve its success?

For many people video games mean only two things: Call Of Duty and FIFA. Particularly in the UK the two games dominate the charts from one end of the year to the next, but the fact that a new version comes out every 12 months means it’s often difficult to come up with new features to justify that fact. This year’s FIFA 14 finds it particularly difficult, but it’s hard to argue that makes it any less enjoyable to play.

FIFA has been in this situation many times before, where it reaches a plateau where it’s hard to see what else it can really do. That’s especially true now at the end of the generation, when all the power of the current consoles seems to have been rung out and it’s the turn of the next generation to pick up the baton.

But although there are Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions due (as launch titles for their consoles in November) you’d have to be optimistic indeed to expect any major changes until at least next year’s games. So where does that leave FIFA 14? Well, it’s not exactly FIFA 13 with knobs on, more a case of slightly indecisive plastic surgery.

None of this is to suggest there aren’t any genuine attempts at improvement in FIFA 14, indeed it has a full suite of genuinely useful changes. First touch, shooting, and dribbling have all been revamped, but although the end result definitely feels different it’s arguable whether it’s actively better.

The new Pure Shot feature works very well with the new ball physics and animation system though, so that timing, positioning, and anticipation all become of equal importance in terms of getting a shot on target. Perhaps as a reaction to the newly resurgent Pro Evolution Soccer FIFA 14 plays noticeably slower than FIFA 13, encouraging you take your time creating chances and setting up more considered crosses and headers.

This is especially evident of the new Protect the Ball feature, which is meant to allow you to fend off and block opponents while running. But although again it’s purposefully meant to slow down the tempo that doesn’t always match up with the rest of FIFA’s more fast-paced action.

On balance the changes come out just about even but it does feel like EA have tried to make a fundamental change to the way the game plays by only changing specific elements, rather than building everything new from the ground up.

They get away with it because the changes are all in the right direction, but the gameplay doesn’t feel quite as consistent as it has previously. And yet in its best moments it’s as good as the game has ever been, with the new animation system allowing for much finer control and a much greater variety of shots.

FIFA 14 (360) – licensed to kill

The changes to the artificial intelligence are also definitely for the better, and it’s now good enough so that playing against the computer is almost as much fun as a real human opponent. Your own team-mates are much better at understanding what you’re doing and opponents will take the ball off you at the first sign of weakness.

But some elements are definitely falling behind Pro Evo, and not only do FIFA 14’s graphics not look as good as its lower budget rival (in terms of the current gen versions at least) but passing is also notably less precise in FIFA 14.

Off the pitch there’s a new co-op seasons mode which allows you and a friend to play 2v2 ranking online matches. And for those that have been demanding its return online single matches are now back. At the same time Career Mode has been improved by the introduction of a global transfer network, with scouts active for the whole season.

And then there’s FIFA Ultimate Team, which has become almost the franchise’s killer app. This year it introduces ‘Chemistry Styles’, which turn Ultimate Team from the modern equivalent of a virtual sticker book to a collectable card game. The chemistry links work very much like the systems often seen in role-playing games, where different team-mates support and augment the abilities of others.

There’s also the equivalent of skill trees and stat boosts that mean no FIFA player ever gets to laugh at Japanese role-playing fans again.

FIFA 14 is a great game and despite being a less well rounded package than last year it’s not necessarily a worse one. It does however feel like only the first half of a full game, hinting at the future of the franchise but not yet fully committing to it. It’s not exactly treading water but it does mean that the ultimate FIFA is still yet to come.

In Short: It lacks commitment in some areas but there are enough new features and promising new ideas to keep fans busy for another 12 months, even if this is clearly a transitionary sequel.

Pros: Some genuine improvements, particularly in terms of animation, physics, artificial intelligence, and Ultimate Team. Top notch presentation and the usual full suite of licences.

Cons: The slower, heavier style of play is implemented inconsistently across the various gameplay elements. Imprecise passing and increasingly second-rate visuals.